A lack of depth at right-centre back – due to Eric Dier’s conversion to defensive midfield – means Fazio is the only senior player available to rotate with Toby Alderweireld, but his lacklustre showing against the Gunners suggests the much-revered Spurs academy should be utilised again.

Two candidates stand out as potential options for Pochettino, but whether he feels they are ready for the big stage is not yet clear.

17-year-old Cameron Carter-Vickers is one of the most promising youngsters on the club’s books and has already appeared for the United States Under-23 team.

The powerful defender is technically accomplished and fiercely competitive. His progression to the first-team seems inevitable, but whether it will be in the next few months or the next few years remains to be seen.

Fazio has his uses but struggles against agile, technically gifted players, and those are the types likely to be encountered on Tottenham’s European travels.

The Argentine clearly has no long-term future at White Hart Lane and by throwing Veljkovic or Carter-Vickers in at the deep end, Pochettino may just unearth the solution to his side’s only remaining positional problem.